Page 66 of Gridlocked on the Gridiron

“Huh?”

“Go inside, osita. I need to talk to Colton.”

Isa shoved her into the house. Then, Lucia watched, stunned as her friend closed her door, pushing her out of the conversation with Colton.

She heard Isa talking to him quietly. When she tried to wrench open the door to chide her best friend, she found it held tight.

When did Isa get so strong? she wondered.

Colton’s response was low, muffled completely by the door. They continued in that fashion for a few minutes, though Isa’s tone seemed to shift as the conversation went on. Finally, the door opened, knocking Lucia back.

His eyes found hers, and the sweet smile he gave her had her own lips inching up. He walked away, and Lucia closed the door and whirled on her best friend.

“Isa, what did you say? He’s doing something nice for me because he’s secretly a sweetheart. He doesn’t deserve to be ripped to metaphorical shreds for that.”

Isa wouldn’t meet her eyes as Lucia locked the door.

“You’re right.” Finally, her eyes met Lucia’s. “But I’m not the one who’s going to rip him to shreds.”

Chapter twenty-three

Colton

Something had changed between Colton and Lucia since Thanksgiving, and he couldn’t be sure if he was the only one who felt it. By the end of the evening, he’d known he was screwed, but he hadn’t known the extent. Then, later, when Isa had told him he needed to leave Lucia alone because she deserved better than to be used as a pawn in his game against Clark, he’d snapped. He’d confessed feelings he hadn’t even had an opportunity to work through on his own.

“Lucia has divided the timeline of my life in two: before she came to Charleston, and after,” he’d said. “Nothing has been clearer to me than the fact that she deserves far better than I could ever give her.” He cringed at the memory, remembering how he’d quieted his words so Lucia wouldn’t overhear. Who was he kidding? Isa had most definitely told her every ill-conceived word of his admission, and clearly, she didn’t feel the same way because she hadn’t made any mention of it since.

And that was okay. He was content with whatever she was willing to give him, even if the thought of their imminent breakup made his hands sweat and his heart splinter. But they’d agreed to the break up because it was what was best for their careers, and he needed to get on board. The Sabers had enough wins to go to the playoffs, and if he wanted another chance at the Super Bowl, he needed to prevent any and all distractions. Especially beautiful, brunette ones who he would willingly give up football for so he could spend the rest of his lifetime worshiping at her feet.

Regardless of her feelings, to keep up appearances, they continued their outings together. Cooper had invited them to double date, stating that he felt he hadn’t hung out with Colton as much as they usually did during the season. Colton had given Lucia an out—many, actually, because he really didn’t want to go—but she’d convinced him it would be fun.

Unsurprisingly, Cooper had pulled out all the stops. When he wanted to enjoy a night out, he truly made sure he did. The restaurant he’d chosen was completely empty, and at Colton’s questioning look, his best friend admitted that he’d reserved it for the evening so they wouldn’t have to deal with any press or fans.

Colton refrained from reminding Cooper that the woman on his arm was, in fact, a fan. Colton had no idea where his friend found these women, but this one hardly spoke, eyes sparkling and grin wide like she’d won the lottery.

Lucia smiled over at her as they looked through the menu, their very excited server standing a few feet away. “Have you lived in Charleston long?”

The woman—whom Colton referred to in his mind as Bouncy because he’d been too busy watching Lucia smile when she’d introduced herself—clapped her hands together.

“Since college! I decided to stay when I got a job here.”

“Oh, what do you do?”

“I work in advertising.”

Lucia set her menu down, and Colton noticed the way her finger stayed pointed at what he assumed she wanted to order. He smiled.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s okay. It gets really fun around the Super Bowl when everybody wants ads with the Sabers.” She patted Cooper’s hand. “That’s how we first met, actually. My agency had a client who wanted Cooper here for an insurance ad.”

Cooper grinned at Lucia. “Not looking into a new profession, I hope. Colton won’t survive if you leave the Sabers. He needs his emotional support Lucia.”

Colton kicked his friend under the table. “Dick,” he muttered.

Lucia’s laugh was melodic, echoing around the empty restaurant. She inched slightly closer to him, her leg resting against his in the booth. “I don’t know why everybody says that. Colton is the most capable quarterback in the league right now, he doesn’t need me anymore. I’m not sure he’s needed me since the third or fourth regular season game. All he needs to remember is to scramble his feet a little better and not release the ball early.”

Colton whipped his head to look at her, frowning. “That’s ridiculous. You’ve helped me through every single game this season.” He didn’t know how many times he’d told her so, not sure why she was selling herself short. He’d tell her for as long as it took for her to understand that he was being honest.

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